‘Five Nights at Freddy's’: An Exploration of Its Phenomenon and Implications

"Five Nights at Freddy's," often abbreviated as FNAF, started as a game released on August 8, 2014. It tells the story of an employee working the night shift at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, a family pizza restaurant chain. This worker faces threats from animatronic dolls and must rely on security cameras, lights, doors, and other tools to avoid harm until the end of their shift. At first glance, the game appears to be a simple horror story without much plot. However, the game's story gradually unfolds through recordings, Easter eggs, and other methods, revealing an intriguing and extensive narrative.

The revealed story elements of "Five Nights at Freddy's" garnered significant attention, and its creator, Scott Cawthon, continued to expand the franchise. This expansion included more games, novels, web series, short stories, and, now, a movie. Five Nights at Freddy's" expanded from a basic game into an extensive fictional universe with intricately developed lore and comprehensive world-building.

FNAF: Not Just a Game but a Sprawling Fictional Universe

With this extensive fictional universe as a backdrop, a film adaptation of "Five Nights at Freddy's" was released on October 27 in the United States. When looking at the reviews from both critics and audiences, a noticeable pattern emerges. Critics often approach the movie from a general audience perspective, while fans view it from a different angle. To the ordinary viewer, "Five Nights at Freddy's" might just seem like a horror film about murderous robot dolls, and many of them may not even be aware of the game's existence. However, fans of the franchise see it as an integral part of a fictional universe. Their expectations are based on expanded plotlines, homages, and Easter eggs. This disparity in how information is received leads to a significant difference in ratings between critics and fans.

Usually, when a film based on a franchise is released, the general audience typically outnumbers the fans. Critics review these movies with the average viewer in mind, so the audience's ratings should align with the critics' scores. However, in the case of "Five Nights at Freddy's," the fanbase is possibly much larger than what the critics might expect. As of 2023, the first six games in the "Five Nights at Freddy's" series had already generated $33.5 million on Steam alone. This figure doesn't even include earnings from other derivative products and distribution channels, showing that the fanbase is extensive. Fans may make up the majority of the movie's audience.

Despite the divergent critical reception, "Five Nights at Freddy's" is still expected to perform well at the box office. The movie is projected to make around $78 million in its opening week, making it one of the highest-grossing horror films in North America this year.

Are critics and audiences looking for the same thing in adaptations?

The phenomenon of critics and fans having very different opinions isn't limited to "Five Nights at Freddy's." This divide often arises in adaptations of well-established properties. In 2022, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" received criticism for having a shallow plot and underdeveloped characters, with some labelling it a mere "video game commercial." This adaptation remained true to the original storyline, with an abundance of game-related visuals. This approach was intentional; Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, was one of the producers. Miyamoto believes that adaptations should be enjoyable for viewers who haven't played the games. He emphasized the importance of capturing the essence of the games in the film and making the audience feel like they're having fun, just as they would while playing the games.

Contrastingly, adaptations like "Warcraft: The Beginning" in 2016 had a lower score among critics (29%) but a higher score among audiences (76%). Critics cited excessive fan service, inaccessibility to those unfamiliar with the game's lore, shallow storytelling, and unresolved plotlines as its main flaws. For the audience, the movie's failings came from casting choices, lacklustre character representation, and the choice of adapting a relatively less engaging chapter of the game's lore. Some even found it convoluted and confusing.

Interestingly, Duncan Jones, the director of "Warcraft: The Beginning," was an accomplished filmmaker who had previously directed successful films. He was also a fan of the "World of Warcraft" games and had spent over 20 years playing the game. This fact makes the film's relative failure more intriguing.

Another example is "Monster Hunter," an adaptation of the popular video game. Critics rated it at 44%, while the audience gave it a 70% rating. While audience reviews weren't overwhelmingly positive, they still showed a considerable gap with critics. The film took creative liberties with the original storyline, altering and changing some of the game's fundamental elements. This wasn't a faithful adaptation, which disappointed some "Monster Hunter" fans. However, it found a niche among fans of the director, Paul W.S. Anderson, known for adapting video game franchises. Anderson's approach was to highlight action sequences, heroic character arcs, and battles against monsters, creating a unique style that many of his fans appreciated.

What's intriguing about these examples is that even if a film strays significantly from the original storyline, many will still buy the story. The audience group is often made up of fans of the director or those who don't hold the original storyline in high regard. They appreciate the film's unique style and how it brings certain elements to life that the original storyline couldn't.

"Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves," derived from the "Dungeons & Dragons" game series, garnered impressive ratings from both critics (91%) and audiences (93%). The fantasy movie offered accessible storytelling and character development, making it inclusive for non-fans without alienating the core audience. This approach maintained the game's essential traits while delivering a compelling and enjoyable narrative to a wider viewership.

The final example isn't an adaptation of a video game but a live-action adaptation of the immensely popular manga, "ONE PIECE." The series had the challenge of condensing a sprawling narrative that originally spanned approximately 19.2 hours in the anime into just eight one-hour episodes for the first season. Many parts of the story were altered or removed to fit this format. The live-action version was distinct from the original, featuring a more Westernized style and different character designs. However, these changes were made with the creator's, Eiichirō Oda's, approval. Oda himself supervised the production and worked closely with the team to ensure that the core elements of "ONE PIECE" remained intact.

The reviews for these adaptations reveal some of the following patterns: Critics tend to evaluate movies from a general audience perspective and assess their storytelling, thematic fidelity, pacing, and overall alignment with expectations. However, fans of these franchises focus on the emotional connections, expanded storylines, and hidden gems that these adaptations provide. This difference in perspective leads to contrasting reviews between critics and fans.

In cases where the gap between critics and audience reviews is minimal, the intent is to cater to a broader market beyond the existing fan base. These adaptations aim to be accessible to viewers unfamiliar with the original storyline while retaining creative freedom and a distinct style. They preserve the core characteristics of the characters and essential elements while delivering additional content and experiences that resonate with fans.

These adaptations can be considered "large-scale promotional films" for the original storyline. When they succeed in bringing new fans into the fold, they serve as excellent tools for evangelizing the franchise. On the other hand, if these "promotional films" primarily cater to fans and fail to engage non-fans, the critical reviews can serve as a warning, indicating that the work is aimed at a niche audience and may not be enjoyable for newcomers.

Fans frequently seek reviews from individuals who authentically adore the content, prioritizing those whose appreciation aligns with their own tastes rather than solely relying on critics' opinions.